High Security Alert in Israel After a Series of Deadly Terrorist Attacks in the Last Few Weeks: Israeli security forces entered refugee camps and other places in the West Bank in search for Palestinians who are or may be planning hostile and violent activity during the coming Jewish Passover. Security forces decided to impose a closure on the West Bank and ban all Palestinians from entering Israel starting this Friday until the end of the first Passover holiday on Sunday. The decision makers are struggling between the need to provide high security during the Jewish holiday, and their wish not to impose extra burdens on the Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan. If they close the borders all together for the duration of the holiday, more than a week, it may cause unrest in the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and that may lead to more violence. 6 Palestinians were killed during the current military operation to catch and prevent more violent attacks. This resulted in a lot of tension, and fear that Hamas would retaliate from Gaza.
Tensions Escalate in the Nablus Area in the West Bank After Joseph’s Tomb was Vandalized by Palestinians and Subsequently Renovated Within Days Under IDF Security and Broad Media Coverage: the funerary site, located on the outskirts of Nablus in the West Bank, is held sacred by Samaritans, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The arson was widely condemned in Israel, by many including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said: "Palestinian rioters in a campaign of destruction simply destroyed a holy place for us, the Jews ... We will make sure to rebuild what they destroyed, as we always do”. Within two days, the IDF initiated the renovation works of the tomb, in coordination with the site administration and the Palestinian Authority. The renovations were set for the morning hours, when many of the Nablus residents are still asleep because of the Ramadan, to “send a message” to the Palestinians. The commander of the Samaria Brigade, after meeting with right-wing members of Knesset, took the initiative to open the renovation operation to the media, thus violating the orders of his own direct commander. At the site, the Samaria Brigade Commander, a West Bank Settler, made a political speech and said: we are working today with a high hand like our ancestors on their departure from Egypt on Passover … Not as thieves in the night, but as sons of kings”. Senior security officials criticized the Brigade commander for violating direct orders and politicizing the renovation operation, at such tense times. A 34-year old Palestinian man was killed by live fire in clashes with the Israeli army near the tomb area.
Ayman Odeh, MK (member of Knesset) From the Joint List (mostly Arab members) Created a Scandal When he Challenged Palestinian-Israelis Who are Part of the Security Forces to Resign: Odeh, who is usually a moderate politician, who calls for a shared society of Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, released a video on social media in which he called on Israeli-Arabs, who work for the security forces, to throw away their weapons and not be part of the mechanism of the occupation. He filmed the video in front of the Damascus Gate in the old city of Jerusalem. Many condemned his call, from the right, center and left, claiming that Odeh is calling for a revolt and should be put on trial. Odeh later tried to explain saying that he did not mean ALL Arabs who work for the security forces but only those who are a direct part of the occupation.
Politicians and Other Key Figures Harshly Criticized the Manner in Which Mainstream Media TV News Reported on the Last Deadly Terrorist Attack in Tel Aviv Last Week: An unprecedented number of complaints were received by all 3 TV news station from the audience, who were shocked by the coverage and accused them of creating hysteria among the public and for not being sensitive enough to the privacy of the security forces while they were pursuing the Palestinian terrorist who fled from the scene after killing three people and wounding another six with a firearm. The Minister of communications initiated a discussion about the coverage in which he hinted at a threat to the media that if they do not impose a voluntary code of ethics on how to cover violent attacks and how to preserve both individual privacy and state security, he will introduce a compulsory regulation that will monitor and regulate the media. The issue was at the center of the discussion of a special meeting of the committer for homeland security at the Knesset, in which MKs also complained about the coverage. What was exceptional in this event was the fact that the terrorist was not caught for several hours, the fact that both police special forces and army special forces were both at the scene and it seemed that there was not a central authority that ran the show. Also, this attack was at the very crowded center of Tel Aviv, and many by-passers were there in addition to many cameras and reporters who were all trying to get the best visual shots.
Senior media executives promised to learn lessons from the case.
How a Gift of a Thermal Cup Cast a Shadow on Israel-China Diplomatic Relations: The Chinese Embassy sent Passover gifts to government ministers – a thermal cup. The office of minister of science and technology, Orit Farkash-HaCohen first suspected that the cup was fitted with a spyware device. The central security service later issued a formal announcement that the cups were “perfectly innocent”. However, analysts say that the damage was already done, adding to the strained diplomatic relations between Israel and Chine, given the pressure from the US to limit China’s involvement in the Israeli economy, especially in public tenders for infrastructure projects, out of concern for national security.
And before we say goodbye, we wanted to let you know that an Israeli drama series “The Lesson” won top prize at the Canneseries Film Festival. Maya Landsman, leading actress, won the prize for best performance. The series was inspired by a real life story from several years ago, when a civics high-school teacher was laid off following a complaint from a student, after the teacher shared criticism of the IDF.
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Security alert: Here, here, here, here